ShavittLab

Culture and consumer behavior updates from our University of Illinois lab and from around the world.

[Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel]

Wow, Duke University just closed the Center for Advanced Hindsight:

[David Frum @davidfrum]

Cannot help Ukraine, Taiwan, or the people of Iran because the US government is bogged down in wars of aggression against Minnesota and Denmark.

[Pop Base @PopBase]

Madonna shares post calling for the people of Iran to be freed:

“[…] I think of all the people in IRAN who are fighting a much needed, Revolution and willing to die for what they believe in. We take so much for granted Myself included. […] The women of Iran do not have this freedom. I stand with them. The people of Iran have not known freedom for centuries I cannot claim to truly know the suffering that has been endured but my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Iran.”

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

What is happening in Iran now – large-scale protests, effectively an uprising – is a clear sign that things won’t get easier for Russia.

And every decent person on this planet truly wants the people of Iran to finally free themselves from the current regime that has brought so much evil to Ukraine and to other countries.

It is crucial that the world does not miss this moment when changes are possible. Every leader, every country, and international organizations must step in now and help the people remove those guilty of what Iran has sadly become.

Everything can be different.

[Iran International English @IranIntl_En]

At least 12,000 people were killed in the largest killing in Iran’s contemporary history, carried out largely over two consecutive nights on January 8 and 9, Iran International’s editorial board concluded, based on a review of sources and medical data.

Iran is under a coordinated blackout aimed not only at security control but at concealing the truth, reflected in internet cuts, crippled communications, media shutdowns, and the intimidation of journalists and witnesses.

Publication was delayed until the evidence converged.

The assessment is based on a multi-stage review of information from a source close to the Supreme National Security Council; two sources in the presidential office; accounts from several sources within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Mashhad, Kermanshah and Isfahan; testimonies from eyewitnesses and families of those killed; field reports; data linked to medical centers; and information provided by doctors and nurses in multiple cities.
https://t.co/EPjCpZlr2p

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

👀

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

🔴 Pro-Scottish independence accounts on X have gone dark after an internet shutdown in Iran, exposing suspected links between the regime in Tehran and online influencers attempting to interfere with UK politics
https://t.co/Si4QAv0dp9

[Masih Alinejad @AlinejadMasih]

Message from inside Iran:

Please help us. The situation here is horrific. It is a full scale war. The regime’s forces show no mercy. They shoot protesters in the head and heart and even finish off those already wounded on the streets. In hospitals the wounded are being kidnapped and killed.

Masih please tell the world we need help 💔

#IranRevolution2026
#Iran

[TIME @TIME]

Doctor says more than 200 reported dead in Tehran as regime opens fire on mass protests

https://t.co/TnXsa5TTYx

[Journal of Consumer Research @JCRNEWS]

Statement on academic freedom, diversity, equity and inclusion at the Journal of Consumer Research:
https://t.co/4oV7IolxUk

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

Excited to share a call for papers for a JACR issue on “Cultural Influences on Decision Making and Marketing” co-edited by Carlos Torelli, Chi-Yue Chiu, and myself. Please consider submitting your work! Details here: https://t.co/h8bp1Lpy6c

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

On November 2, 1976 this peanut farmer from #Plains GA beat Gerald Ford to become the 39th US president. Although I could not yet vote in that election, I was proud of doing my tiny part, and inspired by the honesty and humanity of this ticket. #RIPJimmyCarter

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

In spring 1976, I was 16, fascinated w politics, & geeking out on the Dem primaries. Jimmy Carter wasn’t my top choice in the Dem field--I was suspicious of his Deep South roots & religious rhetoric. But when he won the nomination, I signed up. #Plains #RIPJimmyCarter

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

Here is the inside of one of the flyers I helped distribute. Can you imagine this message resonating in our current political environment? Beyond the content, the WORD COUNT is insane. How far our political rhetoric has degraded over the last half century.

[Andy Luttrell @AndyLuttrell5]

If you missed it, this week on @OpinionSciPod, Aaron Barnes shares a really interesting set of studies on the different influences of "top-rated" vs. "best-seller" labels across cultures.

(Plus, how this all goes back to his former life as a child vending machine maven.)

[Journal of Consumer Research @JCRNEWS]

When labeling products, marketers commonly use consensus cues about others’ behavioral choices (“best seller”) or their attitudes (“top rated”). Yet as @aaronjbarnes and @SShavitt show, the effectiveness of these types of cues may differ across cultures. https://t.co/K1DJIOEI1a

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

@aaronjbarnes I’m not crying, you’re crying 🥺

[Dr. AB 🤔 @aaronjbarnes]

🚨 New Research! 🚨
Our studies (@SShavitt), just published in @JCRNEWS, show that the effectiveness of consensus cues about others’ behavioral choices (“Best Seller”) or their attitudes (“Top Rated”) differ across cultures.

Why does it matter? https://t.co/K3GYP1umly

🧵 1/5

[ShavittLab @SShavitt]

Excellent letter by Israeli social psychologists. Fully support.

[Roni Porat ���️🟣 @ronchuli]

"as social psychologists, we must appreciate the complexity of such conflicts and set an example for our students to think critically, acknowledge and respect different perspectives, fight dehumanization, and emphasize the value of all human life."

[Shoham Choshen-Hillel @SChoshen]

A letter to our community, regarding the war, by Israeli social psychologists. Please read and share.

https://t.co/MCc93bPhEz